Coffman selected as UH Legislator-in-Residence

State Rep. Denny Coffman (District 6 – North Kona, Keauhou, Kailua-Kona, Honokohau) has been selected as a Legislator-in-Residence at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Coffman will join the College of Social Sciences during the Fall 2010 semester. Established in 2002, the Legislator-in-Residence program provides an opportunity for lawmakers to discuss issues that affect the community with students and faculty and to share information on how those issues may be transformed into policy through legislation.

“It is a great honor to be selected as a Legislator-in-Residence,” Coffman said. “I believe that this process creates a tremendous benefit for our communities. Much can be learned by having the legislature participating with the university to understand and solve current and real policy issues. I look forward to participating in this great program.”

Each Legislator-in-Residence is encouraged to develop a project of importance to the community, collaborate with faculty and students, take part in colloquium presentations, give lectures to classes, and develop policy that may result in legislative action. The activities serve to better connect the community and the university.

Coffman is Vice Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection. He serves on the committees on Finance; Water, Land & Ocean Resources; and Housing.

He is a founding director and officer of Community Enterprises, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that organizes monthly Kona town meetings.

For his Legislator-in-Resident project, he will be exploring how to move people to accept the changes needed to transition to clean energy and environment, including developing legislation for the 2011 legislative session.